Oh no! Where's the JavaScript?Your Web browser does not have JavaScript enabled or does not support JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript on your Web browser to properly view this Web site, or upgrade to a Web browser that does support JavaScript; Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome or a version of Internet Explorer newer then version 6.

Excavations at the Rock Carvings at Torp in Skredsvik in Bohuslän, Sweden in the early 1990s. By Ulf Bertilsson & Catarina Bertilsson
In recent years there has been a series of excavations in front of rock carving panels in Northern Bohuslän. These excavations have revealed a lot of hitherto unknown archaeological finds and new information. In that way new light has been shed on the context of the rock art and the engraved granite panels. Already before those, in the early years of the 1990s the authors performed archaeological excavations at two of the most spectacular rock art sites in Bohuslän, namely at Torp in Skredsviks parish and at Fossum in Tanum parish. Due to a number of unforeseen circumstances that will not be accounted for here, the reports from these excavations have been delayed for many years. Thanks to the excellent initiative of the editors, Gerhard Milstreu and Henning Prøhl, to let the present issue of Adoranten focus on excavations in connection with rock carvings the present authors have now been offered an opportunity to finally tighten this lacuna. However, due to the rather extensive information from these excavations this paper will focus on the excavation at Torp in Skredsvik whilst a report from Fossum in Tanum will have to wait for yet some time.

Exploring the contemporary context of rock art. By Trond Lødøen
This paper presents some results from archaeological excavations and surveys in the immediate surroundings of rock art sites in Western Norway. The results have been provided for a better background and a more nuanced debate concerning both the chronology of the rock art, the production of the rock art, and the fuller understanding of its meaning. Many years with focus only on images has in practice neglected archaeological material present in the immediate vicinity of the sites, representing the contemporary context of the images, thus weakening the rock art’s potential regarding knowledge about the past.
Traditionally, within Scandinavian archaeology, and in particular before the 1960s, there was a clear distance between researchers who worked with rock art, and those more concerned with other archaeological remains, such as settlements, graves, etc. After the 1960s, this started to improve with a stronger focus on the relations between rock art on the one hand and graves, votive offerings and settlements on the other. However, an integration of archaeological material often present in the proximity of rock art sites, underneath turf or similar contexts have been less focused.

Rock Painting Sites in Finland. Archaeological Excavations and Underwater Investigations. By Helena Taskinen
At the time of this writing (2006), over 120 rock-painting sites are known of in Finland. These paintings were originally made on barren rock faces situated perpendicular to a body of water in front of them. Despite changes caused by land uplift, most of these paintings are still directly adjacent to water. For obvious reasons, normal archaeological excavations cannot be carried out in the areas next to the paintings, but there have been underwater investigations in locations in front of a number of painted rock faces.